|HD 9757 
.M4 04 
1918 
Copy 1 



THE UTILIZATION OF FOREST 
PRODUCTS IN MASSACHUSETTS 

AS AFFECTED BY THE WAR 



73 'b 



By PAUL D. KNEELAND, M.F. 

Assistant Forester 



Under the Direction of 

F. W. RANE, BAgr., M.S. 

Massachusetts State Forester 




BOSTON 

WRIGHT & POTTER PRINTING COMPANY/ESTATE PRINTERS 

32 DERNE STREET 

1918 



Publication of this Document 

approved by the 
Supervisor of Administration. 



DEC 



4 ists 



THE UTILIZATION OF FOREST PROD- 
UCTS IN MASSACHUSETTS AS 
AFFECTED BY THE WAR. 



Introduction. 

The war in which we are now engaged has wrought great 
changes in the field of forest utilization. Many of these 
changes have been kaleidoscopic in their action, and they are 
still going on. What was true a year ago, perhaps, does not 
hold true to-day, and very likely will be still different a year 
from now. This bulletin is written from a popular rather than 
a scientific point of view, in order that the woodland owner 
may know some of the conditions which now prevail, and 
be able to take advantage of them. There is bound to be a 
reaction after the war, but there is little probability that 
things will go back to their former status. 

Of all our natural resources perhaps the forests were the 
last to be called upon to help win the war. The other two 
great sources of raw material — the field crops and the mineral 
reserves — felt the stimulation of war prices long before this 
country entered the conflict. It was not until we were in it, 
and the great programs for ships, airplanes, cantonments, etc., 
were under way, that the lumber business became a great and 
necessary factor. 

Massachusetts forests have not been able to help in a large 
way as have those of many of her sister States. Of airplane 
spruce and ship timbers we have but little. However, our 
forests are doing their bit, and all that our State can furnish is 
needed. 

White Pine. 

White pine is our most important species. Its chief market 
has always been for box boards. The war has brought about a 
great increase in this demand. Most of our munitions have to 



be boxed or crated for shipment, thus necessitating a tremen- 
dous quantity of wooden boxing material. The freight situation 
has until recently practically closed all outside sources of 
supply. The high price of paper has lessened the substitution 
of paper for wooden boxes. Under this great demand and lack 
of competition the price of box boards has nearly doubled. 
Production has greatly increased, but the demand still remains. 
Round edge box lumber has been sold as high as $40 a thousand 
feet delivered, and square edge, $5 or $6 higher. At this time 
a slight reaction is on, and it is the general opinion that prices 
will not go much higher. Some box shops favorably situated 
to a steady local supply of lumber are buying box boards at 
considerably less than the prices quoted. Some are paying less 
than $30 per M and claim to be getting all they need at that 
price. As always happens when prices rise rapidly, the in- 
crease is not the same in all sections. The seller should seek 
more distant markets if the local buyers are unwilling to pay 
the market price. The thicknesses most in demand have been 
1 inch and 2| inches, which make the heavier material for ex- 
port shipments. 

While the price of box boards has soared, the demand for 
the better grades, such as are used in sash and blind manu- 
facture, construction, etc., has remained stationary, or almost 
ceased. The very highest grades which are used in making 
patterns, or directly by the army or navy, have commanded 
high prices. The intermediate grades are not being sorted, but 
are turned into box boards with the rest. There is practically 
no market for them at present except as box boards. The 2^- 
inch pine for match blocks is in good demand, and also the pine 
for toys, pails, etc. 

A slight demand for white pine piling has arisen, due to the 
difficulty in getting spruce. 

Hemlock and Spruce. 

Hemlock is an important species in Massachusetts, while 
spruce is not found except in a limited area. The usual way of 
utilizing these species was to cut them into square edge or 
small dimension material. The demand for this has greatly 
diminished, and the price has not risen in proportion to that of 



box boards. Both species can be sold as box lumber for about 
$2 to $3 under the price of pine, so that is the best way of 
utilization at present. There is a good market for both spruce 
and hemlock for pulp cut 4 feet long and peeled, but most of 
the pulp mills are in the north, and our local operators and 
labor are unaccustomed to that form of utilization, so little 
pulp is cut in Massachusetts. 

Hemlock bark has again come into demand at about $15 a 
cord on the cars. At this price it certainly will pay to peel the 
larger hemlock. 

Chestnut. 

The market for chestnut is our most important consideration 
at this time. The chestnut blight has spread rapidly, and there 
seems to be no hope that it will cease as suddenly as it came. 
There is also no known practicable cure or preventive for it. 
Within a few years, or a decade at best, our second most 
important species will be gone. In the meantime we must have 
a market for it, or most of the dead material will be a total 
loss. Fortunately, there is at present a good sale for all chest- 
nut large enough for lumber, although this market is different 
from that of several years ago. The prices have not gone up in 
proportion with the pine price. The present uses of chestnut 
may be classified as follows: — 

1. Poles, Posts, and Piling. — There is practically no sale for 
posts, except local. The demand for poles is fair, but not as 
good as formerly. When the cantonments were in construction 
there was a very heavy demand. Since then, due to the policy 
of the telephone and light companies in doing as little new 
construction as possible, the demand has slackened, but there 
are bound to be a good many used for replacement and up- 
keep. The price of poles does not seem to have risen in pro- 
portion to the increase in lumber. The specifications and 
prices of the Western Electric Company, the largest single 
buyer of poles in New England, are appended herewith. They 
state that they will continue buying all the larger poles offered. 
Some chestnut piling has been bought lately by the railroads 
and also for fish weirs. That is a market worth looking into, 
as the sticks do not have to be peeled. 

2. Cross Ties. — New prices and specifications have been 



issued since the government took over the railroads. They are 
appended herewith. A maximum price has been fixed which 
applies to all lines in New England. Not all the roads are now 
paying the maximum price or buying all classes, but it is ex- 
pected that before long they will. All ties must be sold to the 
road on whose lines they are delivered. They cannot be 
shipped from one road to another. It is intimated that the 
railroads will do the buying for the trolley lines. Hard times 
have hit the trolley lines, anyway. Many have been discon- 
tinued, and the rest are doing as little in the line of construction 
and repair as possible. Therefore the market for the small 
trolley ties seems to be poor. The new price for ties averages 
slightly higher than previously, but not in proportion to the 
increase in lumber. The price of the smaller ties is lower than 
it was previously on certain roads. The 6-inch tie with 5- 
inch face is no longer specified, and will not be taken except 
as a cull, price not known. The small tie is our mainstay from 
the point of view of utilization of our forests, and it is to be 
hoped that later on the Railroad Administration may rectify 
the matter of their price and size. Probably the reason for the 
low price is that the railroads want as few of the small ties as 
possible. Operators should take the hint and cut their pro- 
duction of small ties to a minimum. The smaller chestnut can 
be more profitably used as lumber, and at present prices of 
lumber the larger material also. 

3. Lumber. — The chestnut lumber market is the promising 
feature of the whole situation. The almost universal disposi- 
tion of chestnut lumber in Massachusetts before the war — 
that of sawing it 1| inches round edge for the chair factories — 
has been somewhat modified. The chair factories are still buy- 
ing and paying good prices, but are not buying in increased 
amounts. In fact, their demand has slightly decreased. Chest- 
nut has come into demand for box boards as a substitute for 
pine. For this purpose, it is sawed mostly 1 inch with some 
f inch and 1§ inches thickness. The price has been from $2 
to $5 per M less than the price for pine, while a little mixed 
with the pine has been accepted without price reduction. Not 
all box shops will buy chestnut, but an increasing number will. 
In this way it is possible to utilize trees which will make only 



i 

small ties, or which will be too small to make ties at all. Some 
operators have been cutting chestnut down to 4 inches, but that 
is not advisable if a sure market for the lumber is desirable, 
6 inches being a safer minimum diameter. 

There is a good demand for the better grades of chestnut 
squared up from the butt, and good second logs. This lumber 
is being sold in place of the southern chestnut, graded No. 1 
and No. 2 common. In thicknesses of 1 inch, \\ inches, 2 
inches and thicker, 6 inches and up wide, it is commanding a 
price of from $40 to $55 per thousand feet delivered. Care 
should be taken, however, to saw this material full to thick- 
ness, so that it will dry to those sizes; also it must be stuck 
and dried properly. This material is used for coffins, finish, 
furniture, cabinet work, piano cases, construction, etc. Even 
higher prices might be realized if great care in sawing and 
grading is exercised. Wormy material cannot be sold in this 
class, nor can it be sold extensively for chair stock. Railroad 
ties and box boards are the best market for wormy chestnut. 
Some wormy lumber can be sold square edge, if it is sound, at 
a lesser price. 

Some chestnut has been used for ship timbers, but it is doubt- 
ful whether that demand will continue. 



Oak. 

Oak is fast disappearing from the eastern section of the State, 
due to the gypsy moth. However, it is our most important 
hardwood tree, and in extensive demand at this time. The 
chief uses may be classified as follows: — 

1. Piling. — White and red oak are in constant demand for 
piling. White oak is specified in some cases, but usually either 
may be used. The prices have ranged from 25 cents to $1 
(for very large sticks) per running foot for the piles delivered. 
About all the larger piles must be from 7 to 8 inches diameter 
at the small end, and from 14 to 20 inches at the butt. Lengths 
run from 30 to 60 feet. All must be fairly straight and thor- 
oughly sound. The chief difficulty with piling is in handling, as 
it requires special knowledge and equipment. It is not advis- 
able to cut piles except on order, as they rapidly deteriorate. 



8 



Oak piles are easy to handle in connection with a chestnut pole 
•operation. 

2. Cross Ties. — All railroads now accept all the oak ties 
offered. White oak commands a higher price, and red oak a 
somewhat lower price, than does chestnut. The prices are not 
such as to make the manufacture of oak ties advisable except 
for knotty upper cuts and crooked, poorer grade logs. 

3. Car Stock. — There is a great demand by the railroads for 
oak sawed into dimension stock and plank for car repairs. It 
cannot be sold except to the road on whose lines it is delivered. 
The price has recently been fixed at $40 on the cars for red 
oak, and $43 for white oak. This price is considerably below 
what the roads were paying before the price was fixed. Unless 
the price is increased, other classes of material offer a better 
market for oak. Before cutting car stock it is necessary to 
receive an order from some dealer or the purchasing agent of 
the railroad. 

4. Wagon and Ship Plank. — This is the highest grade of oak 
produced. It should be cut only from the best butts and 
second cuts from large, sound trees. Thicknesses 2, 2\, 3 and 
4 inches. All should be sawed a little over, to allow for drying, 
and in as long lengths as possible. Prices range from $50 to $75 
per M sawed round edge. Some prices for exceptional width 
and quality have been up to $100 per M. For ship building, 
larger timbers, especially those with crooks and bends, are in 
demand. These pieces often run up to 32 feet in length, and 
are flatted on two sides. There does not seem to be any 
standard price, but these timbers are usually sold by the stick. 

5. Chairs and Furniture. — There is a very good demand for 
round edge oak of fair quality, sawed 1|, If, If and 2\ inches 
for the chair and furniture shops. Prices run from $35 to $60 
delivered, depending on quality, etc. Most buyers like to get 
this material log run without the best butts being taken out. 
This is the surest and easiest market for oak lumber. 

6. There are a number of other miscellaneous markets for 
native oak, as for finish, machinery, bridges, baskets, etc. It 
is advisable to handle and saw the oak carefully if the best 
prices are to be obtained. 



Hardwood. 

Hardwood is the term usually applied to beech, birch and 
maple lumber. They are often sold without any distinction 
between species, or may be sold separately. There has always 
been a wide, but somewhat specialized, difficult and low-priced 
market for these species. The war has resulted in higher prices 
and increased demand. It can now be said that it pays to 
saw all hardwood of good size and quality. Chairs and furni- 
ture still make the chief outlet, sawed If-, If, If and 2f inches. 
Birch has always been in fine demand for bobbins, shuttles 
and spools. Hardwoods are used in all kinds of machinery 
specialties, tools, toys, pails, etc. The new market is for rail- 
road ties. These ties will be shipped to roads having creosoting 
plants. It is doubtful whether the price is high enough to pay 
an operator to cut beech ties unless he has a short haul and 
low operating costs. The price for hardwood lumber ranges 
from $28 to $40 delivered. Square edge and especially selected 
lumber might easily bring a higher price. No poor grade hard- 
wood should be sawed, but put into cordwood. 

Ash. 

Ash is being used in airplane manufacture. For that purpose 
only very select material is taken, and the price is high. For 
wagons, sporting goods, agricultural implements and baskets 
there is a strong demand. Two and one-eighth inches is the 
standard thickness of ash, with some 2| and 3 inches. The 
basket makers use 1| and 1^ inches also. The market for 1- 
inch ash is difficult. 

Miscellaneous. 

Poplar can be sawed as box boards and peeled for pulp or 
used for baskets (sawed \ inch). Bass wood can be sold 
for box-boards or pulp also. It has a very good market sawed 
2f inches for certain special manufacturers. Butternut and 
black ash can be sold as box boards. Hickory is very difficult 
of sale here in Massachusetts. Tupelo (or "hornbeam") can 
be sold in the log for rolls. Elm can be sold for ship building 



10 

and wagon manufacture chiefly. Cherry can be sold for chairs 
and furniture. There is a special war use for cherry, — air- 
plane propellers, — but it takes a very high grade. 

Cordwood. 

Cordwood for fuel has been one of the great features of the 
past year. The price last February was as high in isolated in- 
stances as $12 to $13 a cord on the cars and $20 delivered. 
The price has now settled to about $8 to $10 a cord on the 
cars. It cannot go much lower than that with the present 
cost of labor and teams. We doubt very much whether there 
will be any such demand this winter as there was last, as there 
is much more wood cut. Very few of the woodland owners 
profited by those high prices last year. It went largely to 
the dealers and speculators. The market for chestnut wood is. 
rather difficult. A limited amount can be sold from $1 to 
$2 under the price of hardwood. There is always a good 
demand for slabs and edgings for kindling wood. Owners 
should keep on cutting cordwood, but without the expectation 
of enormous profits. There is bound to be a good demand, and 
also a reaction after the present fuel crisis. 

Labor. 

The most difficult problem to-day for those wishing to 
produce lumber or wood is that of labor. It has steadily in- 
creased in cost, decreased in efficiency, and is now hard to 
find at any price. The cost of operating is surely double what 
it was three years ago, and the difficulties of operating are in- 
creased many fold. This must be borne in mind when the 
present high prices of products are considered. Labor is bound 
to get more scarce as the war continues. 

Stumpage Value. 

The value of lumber and wood stumpage of all kinds has . 
unquestionably gone up in the last year. Pine lots have been 
sold as high as $20 per M on the stump, and cordwood as high 
as $4 per cord. Those prices are undoubtedly war prices, and will 
not last for long. However, pine stumpage is worth from $10 



11 

to $15 now, according to quality and location, for lots within 
a two-trip haul of the railroad, and will probably never go far 
back from those figures. More distant lots, or very small or 
difficult lots, are worth less than that. Chestnut, hemlock and 
spruce are worth from $2 to $3 less. Hardwood has about half 
of the value of pine. Oak and ash are worth more than pine. 

Government Control. 

The chief energies of the nation are to-day centered on the 
war. The government is slowly but surely heading all our 
forces so that they may directly contribute to the winning of 
the war. The lumber business must be prepared to do its share, 
if not voluntarily, then perhaps under government control. 
The recent embargo on the shipment on the railroads of all 
lumber and forest products is probably a step toward that end. 
It is now impossible to ship forest material (cordwood not in- 
cluded) on the cars without a permit, except to the govern- 
ment or to the railroads. At this writing the cause and effect 
of this embargo are not known. It may last for the duration 
of the war. Its effect will undoubtedly be to check the pro- 
duction of lumber for unnecessary uses, its shipment long dis- 
tances, and the hoarding of lumber supplies. It will certainly 
stimulate the production of lumber for direct government use,, 
and may result in lower prices and lessened production. The 
lumber producer must be prepared for anything. It is no time 
for speculation. Forest products are vital at this time, and the 
government will do nothing to hinder their production, but it 
will probably guide this production along necessary channels. 

The Need of Forestry at the Present Time. 

There never was a time when the need of forestry, of forest 
conservation, was greater than it is at present. We are un- 
doubtedly, due to the impetus of the war, overcutting our for- 
ests, especially our pine forests here in Massachusetts; that is, 
we are cutting the lumber faster than it is growing. That 
means a shortage of lumber later, and the loss of wood-using 
industries which will go where they can get the raw material. 
Furthermore, we are cutting destructively, with no idea of the 



12 



future of the land. After the war, when we settle down to pay 
the bills, we shall see more clearly the need of thrift and con- 
servation. More than half of our area is fit only for forests. 
Woods and lumber work is the mainstay of most of our rural 
communities, especially in the winter. We must use our forests 
carefully and wisely if we are to keep our population. Cord- 
wood can be cut with an eye to future production, saving the 
species and trees that will make lumber. Lumber can be cut 
with an eye to the future, saving the reproduction, being care- 
ful with fires and replanting. A representative of the British 
Board of Agriculture said in a recent speech that if France and 
Italy had not practiced forestry and conservation, Britain 
would now be beaten. Our forest resources are more vital in an 
emergency than they are in the times of peace. We must look 
out for them carefully. 

Help by the State Forester. 

The State Forestry Department maintains as one part of its 
service a branch of operation and utilization. This branch is 
prepared to give advice, information and active aid to the 
forest owners and operators of the State. This bulletin does 
not contain specific names of industries or persons buying or 
selling forest products or woodlands. Conditions are changing 
so rapdily that it was deemed impossible to print such informa- 
tion at this time. A large quantity of such information is on 
file, however, at the State Forester's office, and will be given 
on application. Specific questions or problems will be gladly 
answered. Estimates and valuations of woodlands will be made 
on application. The only cost is the payment of traveling 
expenses. Lumbering and cordwood operations will be carried 
on in co-operation with the owner, if the work be done along 
forestry lines, and the owner can furnish all the capital neces- 
sary for the operation. 

Chestnut Poles. 

Specifications. 
AUj)oles shall be of sound, live, white chestnut, squared at 
both ends, straight, well-proportioned from butt to top, peeled 
andjmots neatly trimmed to the surface of the pole. 



13 



The dimensions of the poles shall be according to the fol- 
lowing table : — 

The "butt" circumference, 6 feet from the butt. 

The "top" measurements, the circumference at the top of 
the pole. 

Poles not conforming to specification will be rejected or cut 
back to the next shorter length. 

Trees to make the following size poles should be 5 inches 
larger overbark 6 feet from the butt : — 

Dimensions of Poles by Inches (Circumference) . 





Class 


"A." 


Length of 
Pole 
(Feet). 


Clase 


"B." 


Length of 
Pole 
(Feet). 


Class "C." 


Length of 
Pole 
(Feet). 


Top 

(Inches). 


Six Feet 
from 
Butt 

(Inches). 


Top 
(Inches). 


Six Feet 
from. 
Butt 

(Inches). 


Top 

(Inches). 


Six Feet 
from 
Butt 

(Inches). 


25 


24 


36 


25 


22 


33 


20 


20 


30 


30 


24 


40 


30 


22 


36 


25 


20 


30 


35 


24 


43 


35 


22 


40 


- 


- 


- 


40 


24 


45 


40 


22 


43 


- 


- 


- 


45 


24 


48 


45 


22 


47 


- 


- 


- 


50 


24 


51 


50 


22 


50 


- 


- 


- 


55 


22 


54 


55 


22 


53 


- 


' - 


- 


60 


22 


57 


60 


22 


56 


- 


- 


- 



Prices F. O. B. Point of Shipment. 

Each. 

20 feet, Class C, $2 00 

25 feet, Class C, 2 25 

22 feet, Class A, 2 75 

25 feet, Class B, . . . . . 2 75 

25 feet, Class A, 3 75 

30 feet, Class B, . . . . . 3 75 

30 feet, Class A, 5 00 

35 feet, Class B, . . . 6 00 

35 feet, Class A, . . . 7 50 



14 



United States Railroad Administration. 

Specifications for Cross Ties. 



Grade No. 


Squared. 


Flatted. 


1 


- 




6x6 inches. 


2 


6 inches thick, 7-inch face, . 




6 inches thick, 7-inch face. 


3 


6 inches thick, 8-inch face, . 




f 6 inches thick, 8-inch face. 

\ 

1.7 inches thick, 7-inch face. 


4 


7 inches thick, 8-inch face, . 




7 inches thick, 8-inch face. 


5, . . . . 


7 inches thick, 9-inch face, . 




7 inches thick, 9-inch face. 


Maximum Prices. 




Grade 1. 


Grade 2. 


Grade 3. 


Grade 4. 


Grade 5. 


White oak 




$0 60 


$0 70 


$0 95 


$1 20 


$1 35 


Chestnut 




50 


70 


90 


1 10 


1 10 


Red oaks, .... 




40 


50 


75 


1 00 


1 10 


Beech, birches, hard maples, 




40 


50 


75 


90 


95 



Ties 8 feet are 6 per cent, less in price than above. 

Quality. — All ties shall be free from any defects that may 
impair their strength or durability as cross ties, such as decay, 
splits, shakes or large or numerous holes or knots. 

Manufacture. — Ties ought to be made from trees which have 
been felled not longer than one month. 

All ties shall be straight, well-manufactured, cut square at 
the ends, have top and bottom parallel, and have bark entirely 
removed. 

Dimensions. — All ties shall be 8 feet 6 inches long. 

All ties shall measure both sections between 20 and 40 
inches from the middle of the tie; and dimensions given are 
minimum. 

Ties over 1 inch more in thickness, over 3 inches more in 
width, or over 2 inches more in length will be degraded or 
rejected. 

The top of the tie is the plane farthest from the pith of the 
tree, whether or not the pith is present in the tie. 

Delivery. — All ties ought to be delivered to a railroad within 
one month after being made. 



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